Gilani says blockade to Nato supply routes may last for weeks

Gilani says blockade to Nato supply routes may last for weeks

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the blocking of NATO supply routes into Afghanistan from his country may continue for several weeks.

In an interview with BBC, the Pakistan Prime Minister refused from giving any deadline for the resumption of Nato Supply line from his country adding that the supply routes could remain suspended for several weeks.

There have been talks that after closing the Nato supply routes and getting Shamsi airbase vacated by the US Forces, Islamabad is deliberating over closing its airspace to US, both helicopters as well as CIA-operated drones.

When asked whether his government had any such plans, Gilani did not rule out the possibility. Replying to a query whether the Nato attacks were deliberate and pre-planned, Gilani said: “Apparently so.”

Nato and ISAF helicopters had last month attacked two Pakistan outposts in Mohmand Agency near Afghanistan border killing two dozen troops and leaving 13 others injured. Since then ties between Islamabad and Washington have been at worst over the decade.

Pakistan, alleging the attacks deliberate and pre-planned, immediately suspended the Nato Supply routes and ordered US personnel to vacate the Shamsi airbase in 15 days. The outraged  country also boycotted the crucial Bonn Conference on future of Afghanistan
in a protest to the blatant Nato attacks.

Nato on the other hand has turned down the claims that it was a deliberate attack. ISAF, in  a statement, had said that they were targeting militants in Pakistan the army outposts came under fire mistakenly. However Gilani said that
he believed it was for Pakistan, not NATO, to act on “any credible or actionable information” about militant activity.

 “When there are new rules of engagement with the United States… then I think we should trust each other better,” said Gilani, adding that “Yes there is a credibility gap, we are working together and still we don’t trust each other. I think we have to improve
our relationship so that… we should have more confidence in each other.”

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=6083

Posted by Asma Rafique on Dec 13 2011. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry